


Epoch

by jonbsims



Category: Just Shapes And Beats
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, annihilate Happens, fast burn, fresh is lovestruck and square doesn't want this to be happening, the romance is one-sided at first
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-30 00:50:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16275794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jonbsims/pseuds/jonbsims
Summary: Square was nothing.  Less than nothing.  Just a blip in his otherwise perfect plan, an inconvenience.  Insignificant.  In any case, how could something so small affect him in any way?orFresh is very in love.  Square doesn't approve.





	1. Till It's Over

Square was nothing. Less than nothing. Just a blip in his otherwise perfect plan, an inconvenience. Insignificant. In any case, how could something so small affect him in any way?

When he took the treeangle, squeezed out its now infected energy and felt it burn down his throat, the effect was delayed, but god when it came.

He could feel every single molecule around him. His senses were a mess, hyper-aware and yet, still dulled. At that moment, he was on top of the world - every doubt, every negative emotion melted away, leaving him both relaxed and manic. He celebrated, performing his dance for no one but himself, leaving a trail of destruction as he went, barely even registering the wind blowing against him - let alone the minuscule shape witnessing this, barely dodging him as he went.

In fact, he didn’t really notice until an unfortunate piece of blue got stuck in his windpipe and got coughed out.

So when the same piece of blue was actually making a dent in the security at HIS factory, he was only a little bit bothered. Only a little bit.

Okay, okay, this was fine. Nothing to worry about! If they wanted to try and stop him, let them. There was nothing they could do. Let them try and get past the woggles. Let them flail around and try to escape their inevitable doom. This was nothing to worry about. He had already won. Everything was fine.

Or at least, everything was fine… Until they managed to weasel their way past him and grab the last piece of the treeangle.

He panicked. Was this it? Was this the end of his shortlived dream? Would he be defeated now, and by this...this… Cockroach? For just a moment, he had all the power in the world, and it STILL wasn’t enough. And now that he had tried all his options, he might as well accept his defeat with grace, and watch as his future slipped out of his grip.

Unless… He hadn’t exhausted all his options.

Filled with desperation and adrenaline, he pushed the measly shape out of the way, grabbing the treeangle.

Holding it in his grip, he shuddered. But… There was nothing to be afraid of. He had absorbed its energy, the object itself shouldn’t be too different… It might just hurt a little, for a bit. And then he would have it all, he would finally have the power to rule all of Paradise. So he braced himself, and he shoved it firmly into his skull.

At first, he didn’t feel anything - he was quite surprised. He thought there would at least be a sting. And then he realized that the screaming he was hearing was his own.

And then, the pain. Oh god, the pain. It was unlike anything else he had ever experienced. It pulsed through him, devouring his entire being until there was nothing left but the hurting - it felt as though he was being torn apart, atom by atom, only to be mashed together again with no regard for the original composition of his body. And for all he knew, that could be accurate to what was happening to him.

When the pain faded to a dull ache to nothingness, he was relieved. However, the relief was only there briefly - in a way, feeling nothing was worse, as the creeping realization that his body was moving of its own accord filled him with horror.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way, no, not at all… He watched with sympathy from the newly made prison of his own body as the tiny shape became more and more panicked with every hit. He wanted to win, yes, but this isn’t how it was supposed to happen. But as much as he willed his body to stop, his brain to startle him awake from this awful nightmare, it just kept going, even when there were shards of teal scattered on the floor.

It was funny, he almost felt like crying as he repeatedly smashed Square into the ground to keep them dead.

This was it. This was the end. This was what he wanted. He couldn’t even be happy about it, and to top it all off, it wasn’t even really him who accomplished it. He was a foolish king who had reached his foolish end.

He was well resigned to his fate when his nemesis reassembled, ready to end this.

He welcomed the pain that came from the blasts of pure light with open arms, tearing open his defenses and bringing him ever closer to death. Still, this body that was only remade to destroy, kept going. It was a sort of sick irony, cheering for this insignificant creature he had been battling up to this point, but he was too sick of this - longing for it to be over - to care.

The last thing he saw as his consciousness fell into darkness, melancholy in his heart and a tired fog on his brain, was Square, cheering.

Days later, Fresh pulled himself out of the empty husk that might have been his body one, bloodied and broken. I’m alive, he thought, joyfully. I’m alive, he thought again, this time woefully as pain pulsed through him.

It felt as though his head was being split in two. He was too afraid to check if that truly was the case, but he could tell that the rest of his body was just as he imagined - ripped apart, still healing the wounds he had brought upon himself by means of being an utter idiot.

He resisted the urge to curl up in the fetal position, his entire body shaking from exhaustion and aches. “This isn’t how it was supposed to be,” he stated at a mere whisper, voice cracking. He tried to repeat it, but all that came out was a choked whimper. He tried now, desperately, to stop the sobs that wracked his body from spilling from his lips, and cried anyway.

Paradise was back to normal, now, lush as ever, as if nothing had happened. He ignored it as he dragged himself back to his cave. 

\---

Someone had reported seeing Fresh going back to his cave.

Of course, no one knew how that was really possible. Many had seen him be brutally shattered at the hands of Square - good riddance. But no, he was alive and well - well, well was a bit of an overstatement. But either way, an air of anxiety hung over Paradise. What if he came back to corrupt everything again? What if he stole the treeangle again? And even worse, what if he succeeded this time?

So when he emerged from his dwelling once more, Square was there, and he was ready.

Even so, he tensed when he saw the pink. Not that he would tell anyone that part.

Something seemed off. Fresh was moving sluggishly like he was made of concrete, and if it weren’t for his size, he would look almost pathetic. They ignored the feeling in their gut that this was all somehow wrong, and instead prepared themself for battle.

“Hey, Fresh! It’s hard to believe you’d show your face out here again! Bet you didn’t expect to see me here, did you! But here I am, so you better -”

“Just stop it.”

Square paused at the weak, gruff sounding voice. What the fuck did he say, and more importantly, did he have a cold or something?

“Just...stop. I’m too tired to deal with this, so shut up. I’m not here to fight or anything. I’m just here to...to..”

There was an awkward silence as they stood off, Square waiting for whatever this douche was gonna say so they could kick his ass already. They were almost ready to say fuck it and start the fight already, when -

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh? What? What did you just say?” Square squeaked out, incredulous. They could not be hearing this right.

“I’m sorry, okay!? I’m sorry for taking the treeangle, and I’m sorry for hurting everyone, and I’m sorry that I almost killed you. It won’t happen again. And don’t make me say that again, this is a one-time thing!”

Square blinked.

They took a moment to take it in. This wasn’t at all like the Fresh that popped out of nowhere, took his place as king and beat the everloving shit out of anyone who opposed him. That Fresh was upfront about his intentions. That Fresh looked so confident and angry, but this Fresh… This Fresh just looked tired.

“Okay…” Square started, nervously. “I’m honestly not sure what to make of this. I mean, you seem genuine enough, but this could just be a trick! I’ll take your word for it for now, but I swear to every treeangle in the world that if you try to pull anything, I’ll be there to beat you again.”

As he finished and looked up to Fresh, there was something in his eye that they had never expected to see there, especially not directed at THEM. It was a sort of affection and gentleness that was so intense, they had to look away to hide their blush. 

“Whatever you say, pipsqueak.”

And with that, Fresh was gone.

They later recounted the encounter to Cube, who was equally puzzled.

“Well, that certainly is...weird. You said he sounded like he meant it, so maybe we have nothing to worry about… Still, all we can do is wait and see.”

Square nodded, only half paying attention.

There was something in that gaze they didn’t want to acknowledge. Something they didn’t want to think about, and yet it was all they could. A question.

_“Promise?”_


	2. Chapter 2

Fresh, in some weird way, had become an integral part of their little group.

He would come out of his cave, Square would threaten him, Cube would chide Square, and Fresh would laugh and threaten them back. The banter would continue throughout the day, meaningless insults being thrown every which way. Everyone knew it was all in good fun, at least until the actual fight finally broke out.

Fresh would go back to his cave and sulk, Square would let their steam off by venting at Cube or Circle. The next day, everything would be back to normal.

Today, another fight broke out, but this time, it was different.

“What’s _wrong_ with you!?”

Fresh sighed. He knew this was coming, it always did, though his boiling blood didn’t care.

“Square, come on, it’s okay… Let’s just calm down, and -”

Cube’s rationality wasn’t even given a thought before they were interrupted.

“You come out of NOWHERE, proclaim yourself king and brutally take over our home, and now you wanna be FRIENDS!? There’s gotta be something wrong with that!”

Fresh rubbed his forehead, trying to escape the migraine he could already feel coming on. He just needed to wait until this rant was over, he could go back to his cave and wait for things to de-escalate.

He just had to wait it out.

Wait it out.

“Why do you keep _following_ me around like some sort of -”

“Because I _love_ you, okay!?”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he covered it. A stunned silence fell over everyone. He didn’t mean to say it, it just kind of slipped out, and now -

“You… Love me?” Square asked, quietly.

Silence.

“You’re saying… You’re saying, you came here, corrupted Paradise. You stomped down any opposition. You…”

Pause.

“You did awful things. For fuck’s sake, you...you...you KILLED me! If it weren’t for Cube, I would be DEAD right now! You did all this, and now you’re saying you LOVE me!? What kind of sick fetish is this!?”

Fresh didn’t answer, only continuing to cover his mouth, closing his eye, anything to avoid eye contact.

“I don’t know what this is, but I don’t want any part of it,” Square finished.

“Wait, Square, don’t -” Cube started, panicking, but Fresh stopped them.

“Don’t,” his voice cracked. “It’s alright. Let them go.”

They stood there for a while, Fresh paralyzed by the waves of regret washing over him like needles, Cube too afraid to say anything. The others were too afraid to leave, with the tension so thick in the air. Finally, regaining himself somewhat, he spoke.

“I should go,” he said, softly.

“Wait, Fresh… It’s okay, you don’t need to. Do you… Do you want to talk about it?” Cube said, hesitant.

Fresh smiled at the offer.

“No, I really should… But. Thank you, Cube. You’re very sweet,” he murmured, and then left.

With that, Cube was determined to find some way to fix this situation. They had to find Square.

\---

When they did happen to find Square, the other shape was in the volcano, staring at the lava bubbling up towards them like tiny hands reaching out. Apparently, Barracuda had left them alone. Cube sat next to them, careful not to startle them.

“Hi, Square.”

Square did not look up.

“Hi, Cube.”

Cube took a moment to think about what they were going to say next. They could make it worse if they went about it the wrong way, but there really was no easy way to say it, so they might as well rip the bandage off, as much as they hated being the one doing it. They owed it to Square, in any case.

“I think you should talk to him,” they said, noting how Square immediately tensed up.

“Fresh is the most AWFUL shape that I have ever met, with NO redeeming qualities, and you want me to -”

Their rant was cut short when they saw how Cube flinched at their raised voice.

“...I’m sorry, Cube, I didn’t mean to...I just, I’m so frustrated. I’ve always viewed Fresh as… An enemy? A rival? I don’t know. This makes things so much more complicated! It’s not fair! I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, or how I’m supposed to feel about him! Argh!”

“I don’t think you’re _supposed_ to feel anything about him, Square… This isn’t a clear-cut situation,” Cube replied, easily. “But I do think that you should go and tell him that you feel this way…”

Square paused, considering the idea.

“Tell him I don’t know how to feel about him? Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

Square hummed and then groaned, rocking back and forth as they pondered. On one hand, the last thing they wanted to do was talk to Fresh, of all the shapes in Paradise. On the other hand… They really did trust Cube and their counsel. 

Well, the hard option it was.

“Okay,” they said. “I’ll go talk to Fresh, and I promise to try not to kill him.”

Cube immediately lit up, and Square blushed at the genuineness of it. They got up, meaning to exit the volcano, but turned around.

“And…” they started, “Thank you, Cube. For the advice.”

\----

The last thing Fresh expected as he sulked alone in his cave was for Square to climb on in and walk in a determined fashion straight towards him. Naturally, he geared up for a fight, putting his guard up and readying to argue.

“Listen, Square, I know what I said earlier was weird, but -”

“Why me?”

All of the words disappeared from his mouth upon hearing the question.

“Huh? What do you…”

“Why love me? I did awful things to you, too. I mean, I killed you. Or, I tried to kill you. It didn’t quite stick, lucky you. So, why me?”

Taken aback by the question, Fresh thought about it. He had never really considered why, just that it was something stupid that was now happening to him, like some sort of awful disease that made him do stupid things.

“Maybe that _is_ why,” he answered carefully.

“What, so I try to murder you and so you fall in love -”

“No, no, that’s not what I mean,” he said, frantically trying to explain himself. Square quieted, patiently waiting for their answer.

“I… Alright. I’ve never told any of you this, but when I tried to use the treeangle’s power by - you know - I didn’t have… I couldn’t control my body. It was so painful, and I couldn’t stop it. I was so scared, and I thought you were dead. It felt like the end of the world. But then… You came back.”

Square nodded, slowly trying to absorb this new information.

“It felt so stupid, cheering for my enemy, but that day… I really wanted you to win. I wanted you to defeat me and return everything to normal. And you did. I thought for sure that it was hopeless, but you did it.

And then, later, when I came back to apologize… I was ready to just stay in my cave, to just give up on everything for forever. That was supposed to be the last time anyone ever saw me because I was - because… Ugh. 

The point is, it didn’t matter what I thought because what you said to me that day changed everything. You said that no matter what I was planning, no matter what I did, you would be there to stop me. And I knew it was true because you had done it before. 

So I came out of hiding, because no matter where I was in Paradise, you would be there to keep me in check. I felt safe around you. Feeling safe turned into feeling comfortable, and feeling comfortable turned into… Feeling admiration. By the time I realized what was happening to me, it was already too late.”

He sighed, frustrated and weary.

“Listen, I know that this is really awkward for you. I know because it feels just as awful, or maybe worse, for me. I’m really...sorry, I didn’t mean to, um, just...um…” he trailed off, blushing at the soft pressure around his abdomen. He realized, rather embarrassed, that Square was hugging him.

“Don’ get any ideas, thish ish a one ‘ime deal only,” Square said, muffled.

Fresh believed them, so he took the opportunity to lean into the touch, savoring the feeling of it.

They embraced for a few moments, comfortable, before pulling apart. Upon looking at Square’s face, they were quite flushed, obviously equally embarrassed by the action as Fresh.

“I don’t like you,” they started. “At best, you’re my rival, and at worst, you’re an enemy I need to defeat. Keep that in mind.”

Fresh murmured in agreement, feeling only a little defeated.

“...but,” they said, more softly, “I dunno. Stranger things have happened, I guess.”

And with that, Square was gone, and he was left to think about what had just happened.

After that, there were still arguments, there were still fights, but it was different. It seemed as though a mutual understanding had been reached. And sometimes, they would catch Square and Fresh being friendly with each other.


End file.
